Belted coat



Jan. 2, 1934. R. GILBERT 1,941,468

BELTED COAT Filed Feb. 4, 1935 Fig.1.

Inventor Gilbert Patented Jan. 2, 1934 UNITED STATES BELTED COAT Ray Gilbert, Clayton, Mo., assignor to Curlee. Clothing Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Application February 4,

1 Claim.

My invention relates to a belted coat and particularly to a coat provided with what is known as a half belt,that is, a belt extending across the back part of the coat at the waist line, from the seam by which one side of the back panel is attached to one of the front panels to the seam by which the other side of the back panel is attached to the other front panel.

Heretofore, in making garments of this kind, it has been customary to insert the ends of the belt between the edges of the back and front panels before they are sewed together so that the same stitching operation attaches the panels and secures the belt in position. This construction gives the garment a neat appearance but since many purchasers prefer coats without belts, and since merchants do not desire to carry two lines of overcoats, for example, which are otherwise identical, the usual practice is to purchase belted coats and to remove the belt when a particular customer does not desire it. To do this, however, it is necessary to rip the seams at the points at which the ends of the belt are inserted and resew them after the removal of the belt. This operation is expensive as it can properly be performed only by skilled labor.

It is the object of my invention to produce a belted coat having the same appearance as those made in the manner above described but from which the belt may be removed without the necessity of ripping the seams connecting the coat panels.

In the accompanying drawing, which shows as much of a coat as is necessary to illustrate one form of my invention, Figure 1 is a rear elevation; Figure 2 is an enlarged section on the line 22 of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a perspective view.

The rear panel 1 of the coat is shown as made of two pieces. It may, however, be made of one piece if so desired. It is attached by seams 2 to the edges of the front panels 3. The belt 4 is formed of a strip of cloth slightly longer than the distance between the seams 2. Its edges are turned over to form a hem secured by rows of stitching 5. The ends of the belt are turned over to form attaching folds 6, the folds being made at such distance from the ends as to reduce the length of the belt to the same dimension as the distance between the seams 2. The belt is now placed on the back panel with its ends aligning with the seams 2 and is attached by vertical rows of stitching '7, the body of the belt being separated from the panel for this purpose, as shown in Figure 3. These stitches '7 pass through the ends 6 and the panel 1 a short dis- 1933. Serial No. 655,152

tance inside of the seams 2. In order to prevent tension on the belt from drawing its ends away from the seams 2, I use horizontal rows of stitches 8 passing through both the body of the belt and the ends 6 into the panel 1. These stitches 8 extend inwardly a short distance from the extremities of the belt and are preferably superimposed upon the stitches 5 forming the hem of the belt. In Figure 1 I have illustrated this double row of stitching by heavy lines at the ends of the belt. In practice, however, the double row of stitching will be indistinguishable to the eye from the single row.

It will be seen that my construction produces a garment identical in appearance, with one in which the ends of the belt are secured in the seams but which will permit of the removal of the belt by ripping the stitches 7 and 8 without any alteration of the body of the garment.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A garment having a back panel, a pair of front panels attached to the edges thereof by stitched seams, a belt extending between said seams and terminating in alignment therewith, said belt having turned-over edges secured by rows of stitching to form hems and turned-under ends forming attaching tabs, said tabs being secured to the back panel by rows of stitches extending parallel to the seams, said stitches extending through the tabs and the back panel only, and rows of stitches superimposed on the stitches forming the belt hem, said latter named stitches extending through the belt body, the tabs, and the back panel to maintain the ends of the belt in alignment with the seams.

RAY GILBERT. 

